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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716433">Something Better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash'>Stacysmash</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>DaichiLoveFest, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Passage of time, Philia-Eros, Progressing Relationships, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, training camp arc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:56:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,668</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As training camp winds to a close, Daichi feels a bit sad that there will be so much distance between him and his new friends. He hopes that they can somehow stay connected in the future, but what he gets is something beyond his expectations.<br/><b>Daichi Love Fest 2020 Day 1: Philia-Eros</b></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Daichi Love Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <span>Training Camp</span>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi nearly dropped his onigiri as Kuroo burst out laughing next to him. They had maneuvered away from their underclassmen with smaller than usual stomachs and were leaning against the wall, watching the rest of their teams mingle with each other. But with Bokuto and Kuroo on either side of him, he didn’t need to go looking far for entertainment.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Bokuto, spit that out before you choke!” Kuroo wheezed, slipping a tear away from his eye. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi winced as Bokuto mumbled something back, completely unintelligible with the amount of meat he’d stuffed in his cheeks. “Maybe you shouldn’t have dared him to fit it all in.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I didn’t think he’d actually do it!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Daichi gave him a </span><em>look</em>, the kind that made his kouhai shrink back in fear. It only made Kuroo’s grin widen even more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You didn’t?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“He doesn’t always fall for my taunts. He’s just a bit more worked up today.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Bokuto mumbled something else and started to cough.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I told you to spit that out!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Seriously, Bokuto, at least wait until you’ve swallowed some before you try to speak.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Bokuto growled but focused on working through the meat rolling around in his mouth. As Kuroo started heckling him again for being a gullible idiot, Daichi had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Apart from each other, he respected them both as inspiring captains with sharp skills they’d developed with hard work over the past three years. Together, they somehow lost a significant amount of brain cells and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand how they made their combined idiocy charming.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>During the past week of training, Daichi often poked his head into the third gym to see how they were doing with Tsukishima and Hinata. He knew how strongly Kuroo felt about helping their team improve enough to make it to nationals so they could finally bring about the infamous Battle of the Trash Heap. Still, watching him coach Tsukishima along with Lev only increased his fondness for Kuroo. As much as they poked and prodded each other, Daichi felt a kinship with him that he’d never felt for anyone.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>And then there was Bokuto who was training with Tsukishima and Hinata despite having no particular rivalry with Karasuno. He was insatiable when it came to improving himself, pushing past his boundaries purely out of love for the sport. His enthusiasm was infectious and although Hinata’s excitement over Bokuto was to be expected, Daichi was impressed that he had been able to spark a glimmer of interest in Tsukishima’s eyes as well. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>For Daichi, he admired Bokuto for many reasons. But his favorite moments with him happened in between practice games and training. One night he practically fell down the stairs to get a snack out of the vending machine because he was hungry, only to realize once he got there that he didn’t bring any change. Daichi happened to be passing by with Asahi and found enough change in his duffle bag for him. Bokuto’s smile was blinding and his friendly pat on the shoulder was like a hammer pounding in a nail. He held nothing back, hid no ulterior motive, and Daichi loved it.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>For months, Daichi had been trekking uphill, trying to lead the team toward victory while improving his own skills. His muscles were burning and making it to Nationals seemed like a far-off dream. Somehow, meeting Kuroo and Bokuto, it was as if they had both extended their hands to him and gave him a lift up. His dream was more realistic than ever, and he had gained two lovable rivals out of the deal. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You bastard! Look at Sawamura’s plate. He hardly has any meat on there.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“He’s strong and agile! If he wanted meat, he could get it. Don’t yell at me for being aggressive.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I’m yelling at you for being selfish. You should give some of that to him.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Fine. Sawamura, do you want some of this?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I never refuse food,” Daichi said, quickly picking a few pieces of meat off his plate before he could change his mind. He snickered when Bokuto’s expression fell, watching half his food disappear. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Good… now what about me?” Kuroo asked, his grin turning into something sinister.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“What? Go get it yourself!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Aww, I thought we were friends. You gave Sawamura some.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You ass.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi moaned around the delicious flavor of the barbeque. “Wow, that’s delicious. Poor Kuroo, look at his plate. Hardly anything left.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Yeah, I’m a starving soul.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Bullshit, I’ve seen you eating this whole time.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>It only took a little more prodding to get him to sacrifice some of his meat to Kuroo’s plate. Daichi smiled as he listened to them bicker one moment and then go off on an excited tangent about volleyball and preliminaries. Despite the chaos, it was strangely relaxing being with them. The only regret he felt was that they would be packing up to go back to Miyagi soon and the only way for all their paths to cross again was to meet at Nationals. Even if they succeeded, he felt attached to the other two in a way that he didn’t want to say goodbye forever. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Something shifted inside him and right then and there, he made a decision. If they succeeded in going to Nationals, he would have a new goal to keep the connection between the three of them. Friendships like theirs were rare and he didn’t want their impending graduation to sever it, even if they didn’t have volleyball to keep them connected. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <b>
      <span>Five years later</span>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi smiled sleepily as a mouth-watering aroma drifted from the kitchen. He cracked an eye open and watched as the door swung open, revealing Bokuto in his frilly owl apron and holding up a plate of steaming food. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“It’s almost ready!” he announced proudly and bounded toward the sofa. “Can you test out this sauce to make sure it’s good?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Mmm, it would be my pleasure.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Only Bokuto’s cooking could have coaxed him from his comfortable position. Unfortunately, the long body draped over top of him groaned as he attempted to sit up. Kuroo buried his face into his chest and tightened his hold around his waist.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Noooooooo.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Come on. The sooner I taste this, the sooner we eat.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Hmph.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi smirked and slipped his hand into his silky black hair, ruffling it between his fingers. Kuroo hummed and relaxed against him, giving his nonverbal consent for him to move a little more. Rolling his eyes, Daichi gave Bokuto his full attention since he was hopping around in place.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Okay, let me have it.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Bokuto dropped to his knees next to the sofa and immediately plucked a piece of chicken off the plate. “Say ahhh.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Ahh— OH… Mmmmmygod,” Daichi moaned, closing his eyes as the flavor burst on his tongue. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“That good, huh?” Kuroo asked, smirking as he propped his chin on Daichi’s chest.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Sooooo good.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You really like it?!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Babe, it’s fantastic.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Oh, you want some more?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Instead of answering, Daichi made his eyes as round and pleading as they would go, letting his mouth hang open. Bokuto giggled and picked up another piece. As Daichi snatched it from his chopsticks with his teeth and moaned again, Bokuto’s eyes grew dark and pink blossomed across his cheeks. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“God, I could feed you all day,” he sighed, his voice coming out raspy.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi hummed. “I could be fed by you all day.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“And I could watch you both all day. Seriously, you guys are going to give me a boner.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Yeah? You like this Tetsu?” Bokuto chuckled, taking the last piece of chicken from the plate and easing it toward Daichi’s mouth. As Daichi took it, Bokuto cupped his chin and stroked his thumb across it. The chicken was hot and spicy, but Daichi was sure it was Bokuto’s gaze that was causing his body to overheat. It didn’t help that Kuroo was still lying on top of him and watching the scene with glittering eyes.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Wanting to tease him a bit, and reward Bokuto at the same time, Daichi licked his lips and leaned forward. Bokuto was on him in a heartbeat, cupping the back of his head and pressing deep into the kiss. His tongue pressed against his own and a tantalizing hum vibrated into his lips. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Hey! Where’s mine?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi snickered with Bokuto as they pulled back and looked at Kuroo, his lips turned down in a comical frown. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Sorry, Tetsu, I gave the last piece of chicken to Daichi.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“That’s not what I mean, and you know it!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Awww, does he want some kisses?” Bokuto cooed teasingly.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Instead of taunting back, as usual, Kuroo pouted and nodded. “Yes, I want some kisses.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi pursed his lips to keep from laughing. He knew that Bokuto couldn’t resist an honest request to be loved. His entire demeanor lit up like a Christmas tree and he launched himself at Kuroo, peppering him with hundreds of little kisses before Kuroo sputtered with laughter. He roped his arm around Bokuto’s neck to hold him back for an instant, coming right back in with one slow, deep kiss. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi could have watched the show all day but the mouth-watering scent from the kitchen was slowly becoming an eye-watering burnt one instead.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Umm, Kou? Is dinner on fire?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Shit!”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Bokuto tore across the room and disappeared into the kitchen. Before the door swung shut behind him, they could hear him swearing under his breath and a series of </span><em>clunks</em> and <em>bangs</em>. Kuroo plunged his face back into Daichi’s chest, muffling his cackles so Bokuto couldn’t hear them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Daichi chuckled and rubbed his back, wincing when Bokuto yelped, most likely from burning his fingers. It was never a dull moment with his rambunctious boyfriends. He remembered how he felt all those years ago at the training camp, simply wishing that they could always stay connected and somehow maintain their friendship. He never would have dreamed he would have something even better.</span>
  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I missed doing Bokurodai &lt;3 It's such a fun comfort ship. I may be working on another one, but we'll see how that works out, lol. If you're subscribed to me, you're going to get a bit of spam this weekend, so prepare yourself for lots of Daichi love! ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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